Cal Seismic’s building isn’t the only thing shaking right now. So are all the team members, though whether it is from anxiety or excitement or some combination of the two, no one can tell.
Given our 2nd place success last year in Anchorage, Alaska, we are determined to continue our legacy, but of course, with the new year comes new challenges.
This year, we must design our building around the historical architecture of Massachusetts, blending tradition with modernity while standing tall in the face of earthquakes—and more importantly, other schools.
To face these obstacles head-on, we managed to complete construction and testing of our test model before winter break. Our design spectacularly survived the 3 ground motions that will be performed at the 2015 EERI Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition in Boston, MA on March 31.
The team is now working on our final competition model, lovingly dubbed the Belvedere. We are making adjustments and meticulously checking the quality of each piece to ensure that everything is perfect.
Our Belvedere must withstand this:
Our spirits are higher than the Boston skyline, where we will soon be headed to see our many weekends and long nights’ worth of hard work and elbow grease come to fruition.
Luckily, Cal Seismic has the fantastic help of some brilliant students this year. With a month left until competition, the team has its eye fixed firmly on the gold.
Go Seismic! Go Bears!